A hydraulic Sachs shock absorber mounts directly to the frame and swingarm without a linkage. It only offers preload and rebound damping adjustment and quickly runs out of adjustment range during aggressive riding.

The Dorsoduro’s seat is a cross between that of a supermoto motorcycle and an conventional street bike.

Front brake performance is adequate and fade-free. However we wish that it offered more feel at the lever.

Without a doubt the Dorsoduro is more difficult to ride fast than the 690 Duke.

The Aprilia lacks a slipper clutch which makes controlling the rear tire during aggressive deceleration more difficult.

Although it shares its frame and drivetrain with the Shiver 750 the Dorsoduro looks completely different.

2009 Aprilia Dorsoduro 750

Twin undertail exhaust pipes not only look cool, they sound the part too. The Dorsoduro’s exhaust note is far more raspy sounding than the KTM’s.

The difference in engine response between each of the Dorsoduro’s three engine map modes (Sport, Rain and Touring) is dramatic. We like Touring mode the best no matter if we were riding on the street or racetrack.